Good morning, afternoon, and evening to all my lovely blog readers. In today’s topic, we’re going to dive into some nutritional content again, as this knowledge has always piqued my interest.
About a year ago, I was reading some literature about nutrition and came across a book titled Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food by Catherine Shanahan, MD. I read this book cover to cover and took a lot away from it. There were parts I liked a lot and found fascinating and some parts I thought were toxic and reeked of diet culture. Today though I want to share the things I found fascinating, helpful, and applicable, while highlighting the pillars of a traditional human diet, rather than dwelling on the things from the book I found problematic.
What is the Human Diet?
So, let’s get to it. The content of this book is centered around four pillars, or common nutritional habits, that can all be found in the world’s healthiest and longest-lived cultures and countries. These four pillars—meat cooked on the bone, fermented and sprouted foods, organs and other nasty bits, and fresh plant and animal foods— make up the “Human Diet”. Now you might be thinking what the fuck kind of backwoods imbecile is eating organ meats and sprouted foods. Valid. These pillars, however, are validated by intense research and evidence coming from thousands of years of human evolution. Hunter-gatherers didn’t have access to cosmic brownies and Sundrop. Likewise, they also didn’t suffer from the many common diseases seen in our world today. Western civilization and all of its lovely assets have come with a cost. With modernization came cancer, COPD, autoimmune diseases, ulcers, the need for braces, tooth decay, vision problems, chronic back pain, type 2 diabetes, cirrhosis, and many other conditions that historically were never problems. Traditional cultures didn’t deal with these issues because they applied the knowledge of nutrition and used the healing power of food to work for rather than against them.
As I mentioned in my post a few weeks back “What’s Wrong with America’s Food Industry”, the health of Americans is collectively declining despite increasing technological, medical, and pharmaceutical innovations and advancements. Unfortunately, age-related health issues are affecting those of this generation at younger ages than those of previous generations. This issue of health is linked to the increased number of processed foods accessible to us today. Some years ago, these ultra-processed foods hadn’t been created, and therefore, previous generations ate more natural foods. Their diet was overall healthier. The industrialization of the food industry coupled with fear-mongering around cholesterol and saturated fat has led to the modern American household replacing more natural options, such as butter, with more processed options such as margarine. Because foods such as margarine aren’t “real” per se, they consist of a lot of artificial ingredients, which have also been linked to numerous health issues.
Similarly, in modern society, we use vitamins and supplements to replace a regular intake of produce that would otherwise supply our bodies with the nutrients they’re seeking. While yes, vitamins and supplements can be beneficial, we still must acknowledge they are artificially produced and food is often a better source of healing and health. The book Deep Nutrition gives evidence as to why eating foods of the past can heal an extensive range of medical problems when we often look for cures instead at the hands of modern medicine. And of course, I understand modern medicine is an amazing thing; it can be extraordinarily useful. However, we place too much emphasis on medication these days. Medication is obviously needed for communicable diseases such as Covid-19, Influenza, TB, Malaria, and Hepatitis B and C. However, for non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, COPD, some cancers, type 2 diabetes, and autoimmune disorders, medication should be used as a last resort, not the first line of defense. Nutrition and diet should be considered first. Food is medicine, after all.
Shifting back to the “Human Diet” I mentioned earlier, the common denominator in cultures and ancient civilizations that saw optimal health was a traditional diet consisting of the four pillars I formerly introduced. And by no means am I suggesting we go back to some whack-ass hunter-gatherer bullshit. No one loves modernization more than me. I can’t fathom walking the earth in a time without hot water heaters, iPhones, ovens, Amazon, or a goddamn Wendy’s. And to be honest, I’m not sure how our ancestors did it. However, we can use the strategies, techniques, and nutritional wisdom of the ancient world to our benefit.
Pillar #1: Meat Cooked on the Bone
Let’s take a look at the first pillar mentioned in Deep Nutrition- meat cooked on the bone. Meat cooked on the bone with skin and ligaments attached is much more nourishing due to the release of glycosaminoglycans. What the fuck is that you might ask. I’ll tell ya, don’t worry. Also known as GAGs, glycosaminoglycans, are polysaccharides that make up the structure of our cartilage. Therefore GAGs are important for keeping the body’s structure, brain development, tissue repair, cell adhesion, and homeostasis. They are also essential because of the role they play in preventing inflammation, skin and joint health, and wound healing. Aside from GAGs, meat cooked on the bone is health-enhancing for many other reasons. For example, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, and collagen are released into the meat as it cooks if the bones are still attached. Meat cooked on the bone is full of the micronutrients our bodies need for optimal function and health. There are also high concentrations of gelatin and glycine in meat cooked on the bone which benefits gut health, immune function, and reduces inflammation.
Common sources of bone in meats are beef and lamb shanks, short ribs, T-bone steaks, whole chicken, turkey, or ham, and unfilleted fish. Maybe these suggestions don’t sound exceptionally appetizing, or maybe they do. Or maybe you don’t eat meat, or maybe cooking bone-in meats is so much more of a hassle to prepare and clean up. I get it. So I’ll offer the best advice I can. First of all, if you’re not a meat eater—see what ways you can make use of bone broth. I’m not talking about those fake ass bitches on the internet that “drink bone broth”. Like, be so fucking for real. But, you can be creative with it to get the benefits, such as using it to boil pasta, add it to soup, stew, casserole, scrambled eggs, smoothies, or mashed potatoes, or cook your vegetables in it. The broth is a flavor enhancer so chances are it makes your meals taste better. Secondly, when you grocery shop go out of your way to get one bone-in meat to cook. And then cook it and eat it. Once a week of a little extra effort in the kitchen can be a fun thing and extremely health-enhancing. My last piece of advice in light of this pillar is this: make it work for you. Make it appetizing. We evidently should not eat shit we don’t want to. The fact that there are so many dishes under the umbrella of this pillar, however, makes this easier to do. For example, fried wings—that’s a bone in meat. Fried Wing Fridays could be your way of incorporating this pillar into your life. Once again, just do what you can and don’t overcomplicate things.
Pillar #2: Fermented and Sprouted Foods
The second pillar— fermented and sprouted foods, refers to the techniques used throughout history as a means of increasing the nutritional content of food. In the sprouting process, seeds are kept in a moist environment over several days and thus allowed to germinate. Fermentation is a natural process in which the enzymes of microorganisms such as bacteria or yeast break down sugars into simpler substances. Sprouted foods are an important component of the human diet because they are extremely nutrient dense containing a wide variety of vitamins and minerals such as magnesium, iron, B vitamins, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, and vitamins A, C, and K. They are also packed with fiber, plant-based protein, and antioxidants. With all these elements, sprouted foods are helpful for digestion, immune function, managing blood sugar, and combating inflammation and oxidative stress. Fermented foods are also important to consume because they contain probiotics and acidity that aid in the digestive process, expose our bodies to beneficial bacteria, and allow for easier absorption of nutrients. Added benefits associated with fermentation are enhanced immunity, improved heart health, balancing blood sugar, and lowering the risk of cancer.
Sprouted foods can take the form of nuts, seeds, grains, flour, or bread. Flour made from sprouted whole grains, sprouted brown rice, and bread made with sprouted seeds are several ways this pillar of health can be worked into the human diet. Examples of fermented foods are kimchi, sauerkraut, yogurt, kombucha, some cheeses, sourdough bread, beer, wine, miso, pickled vegetables, and tempeh. So these are foods people aren’t exactly consuming every day. However, we can always make the goal once a week or so. When grocery shopping try some of these and see if you like them and can easily work them into other meals. If you like beer or wine—go with that. Swap sourdough or whole wheat seeded bread for what you usually use. Make a yogurt bowl for breakfast and add some sprouted seeds amongst other toppings. Again, just make it easy and workable for you. What seems realistic and appealing to you? If you don’t like sauerkraut, that’s okay—give kombucha a go. The point is, there are many paths to the same destination of better health. Just choose the one that works best for you.
Pillar #3: Organs and Other Nasty Bits
Next, let’s discuss organs and other nasty bits. You might be thinking, what the fuck girl. Hear me out. This pillar includes some pretty nasty shit like the brain, heart, kidneys, liver, tripe, tongue, and intestines. My question for you is—ever eaten a hotdog? Hotdogs, sausage, pork rinds, liverwurst, chopped liver, gizzard, and oxtail are all common ways people consume organ meats. Organ meats are beneficial because they contain an exceptionally high amount of nutrients like iron, B vitamins, magnesium, zinc, alpha-lipoic acid, fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K), and choline. All these nutrients work for your body and offer benefits such as improved brain health and immune function and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.
This pillar is realistically the hardest to incorporate into your diet. Like sometimes this shit is not appetizing and trust me, I agree. Maybe breakfast sausage or a hotdog at Ballpark Village is your way of making this work for you. Nothing wrong with that. For those of you who are a little braver chicken liver, beef kidney, beef liver, gizzard, pig feet, cow tongue, oxtail, pork rinds, beef heart, and liverwurst may find its place at your table. I think I’ll stick to my hotdog. And if I’m feeling wild, maybe a corn dog.
Pillar #4: Fresh Plant and Animal Foods
The last of the four pillars of Deep Nutrition is fresh plant and animal foods. One we all know is important. And lucky for us, more workable. It’s important to have a solid foundation of fresh plant and animal foods in the diet because of the micronutrients, fiber, and antioxidants they offer. These foods are known for their health-enhancing abilities, reducing inflammation, aiding in digestion, lowering LDL, and even improving mental health. The way they work in our bodies is very complex, well beyond the scope of my knowledge, but what I do know is that they are helpful and allow you to feel your best.
Fresh plant and animal foods include fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, oils, fresh meat, fish, eggs, butter, and dairy. So a lot of different foods fit under this umbrella. This makes it easier for us to work these things into our lives. Everyone has at least one fruit or vegetable they like. Hey-mashed potatoes are a vegetable. Grains such as bread, tortillas, rice, and pasta are already something most people eat regularly, and swapping for whole grain and whole wheat options can be simple and delicious. Cooking some vegetables in olive oil or making a burrito on a whole wheat tortilla are both doable ways to put this pillar into practice. The point is, the options are endless. And I’ll say it again, do what works for you. Eat and cook with the fresh plant and animal foods you like. It should never feel like a battle or an inconvenience. Like eating pigs’ feet might. Unless that’s your beat, go for it.
Conclusion
So now that we know those four pillars well, and have an idea of how they can be realistically used to be of benefit to us, let’s discover another central topic in the book Deep Nutrition— vegetable oil. Vegetable oil is used in nearly every single processed food we find on the shelves. And when I refer to vegetable oil, I mean canola, rapeseed, sunflower, safflower, and soybean oil. Other oils such as olive, peanut, palm, and avocado are health-enhancing rather than damaging due to the processing techniques to get the oil extracted from the source. The book explains why certain vegetable oils can harm your health, the main reason being oxidative stress and damage to the brain’s natural antioxidant system primarily in the form of free radicals. While the book uses a bit of fear-mongering with vegetable oils, I’d recommend a different approach. Read your ingredients list when you can. Opt for options that omit harmful oils and use alternatives such as olive, palm, walnut, peanut, avocado, or coconut oil. If this isn’t possible or realistic in a certain circumstance, eat what you want and move on. Do your best with what you know each day. And let that be it.
Alright, that was a lot of information to unpack so I’ll recap the main points here.
- A lot of non-communicable diseases and conditions are of the “new age”. Industrialization of the food industry and increased sedentary lifestyles have brought on health issues not previously seen in ancient cultures and societies.
- Medication is a lovely thing but for non-communicable diseases should not be the first line of defense, but rather nutrition should.
- Four pillars of health work to fight disease and illness while keeping our bodies functioning at their best.
- Meat cooked on the bone is the first pillar of the human diet and includes foods such as beef and lamb shanks, short ribs, T-bone steaks, whole chicken, turkey, or ham, unfilleted fish, chicken legs, and chicken wings.
- Fermented and sprouted foods are the second pillar of the human diet and include foods such as sprouted nuts, seeds, grains, flour, and bread, and kimchi, sauerkraut, yogurt, kombucha, some cheeses, sourdough bread, beer, wine, miso, pickled vegetables, and tempeh.
- Organs and other nasty bits is the third pillar of the human diet and includes hotdogs, sausage, chicken liver, beef kidney, beef liver, gizzard, pig feet, cow tongue, oxtail, pork rinds, beef heart, and liverwurst.
- The last pillar of the human diet is fresh plant and animal foods. This includes all fresh fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, oils, meat, fish, eggs, butter, and dairy.
- Vegetable oils such as canola, rapeseed, sunflower, safflower, and soybean oil can damage your brain and health through oxidative stress.
- Let this information and the pillars of the human diet work for you. Nutrition is a great thing and should never inconvenience or disgust you or stress you out. Just do what you can to eat in a way that makes you feel your best but never at the cost of your happiness.
Guys, this was another favorite of mine to write for you all. So I hope you liked it. See you next week with another awesome and exhilarating topic.